Dallas Demolition Policies to Change

The case arose from the 2002 demolition of a Dallas home ordered by a city-appointed panel. Officials said the home at 6017 Hudson St. near Ross and Greenville avenues had many code enforcement citations.

But next-door neighbor Gladys Callado said she still felt the city made a mistake at the time.

"I was surprised, since the owner started fixing the house," she said. "They have new roof, new windows, and a new door, and I was surprised when the city come and tear it down."

An appellate court ruling said the city needed to verify the condition of the house on the day of demolition, but the Texas Supreme Court ruling went farther than that.

Attorney Julia Pendery said the Supreme Court found that the original determination of a nuisance must be made by an independent court and judge and not by a city-appointed panel.

"Property rights are so important -- it's a constitutional right -- that the entity that's trying to take away the right can't be the same as the people supposed to be protecting the rights," she said.

"The implications are pretty broad on anything affecting a property right that a city wants to do," Pendery said.

She said the decisions of many other city-appointed boards in every Texas city could now be questioned.

"It could throw a lot of things into turmoil," she said.

With the ruling, the city owes the property owner $75,000 plus interest for demolishing the house, but Dallas could still request a rehearing at the Supreme Court.